Margherita Bassi, Author at Gizmodo

A Giant, 10 Skulls, and Rope-Bound Corpses: This Viking-Era ‘Execution Pit’ Has Stories to Tell

Archaeologists and students in England have uncovered a mass grave, which includes the remains of an exceptionally tall man with a hole in his skull.

Human History Margherita Bassi Feb 5

Experts Stuck 2 Mummies in a CT Scanner. Here’s What They Saw

This is probably not how the ancient Egyptian priests thought their afterlife would go.

Human History Margherita Bassi Feb 4

Is Lead Exposure Really Declining? A Century of Hair Holds the Answer

Before the agency, lead levels were shockingly higher.

Health Margherita Bassi Feb 3

This May Be the Oldest Known Victim of a Bear Attack—and It’s Brutal

At least they had a nice burial?

Human History Margherita Bassi Feb 3

This Ancient River Seemed to Flow Uphill. Now We Know Why

The Green River may have had some help from a dripping crust.

Earth Science Margherita Bassi Feb 2

143-Year-Old Shipwreck Emerges on a New Jersey Beach

The unfortunate ship, along with its cargo of oranges, sank in 1890 while en route to New York City.

Human History Margherita Bassi Jan 29

This Spider’s ‘Pearl Necklace’ Looks Fancy—Until You Learn What It Really Is

Nature is awesome, but it can also be super gross.

Biology Margherita Bassi Jan 29

NASA Has a New Estimate for Europa’s Ice Shell, and Whoa Is It Ever Thick

Jupiter's fourth-largest moon is a main character in our search for other life-friendly places in our solar system.

Space & Spaceflight Margherita Bassi Jan 28

1,000-Year-Old Bronze Cross Perfectly Matches Mold Found 40 Years Ago, Shocking Archaeologists

A volunteer in Germany may have linked a medieval wheel cross to a mold unearthed four decades ago.

Human History Margherita Bassi Jan 28

Shell Fragment Found Fitted With Strange Tag Sparks Internet Mystery

A snorkeler in Australia found a shell tagged with a strangely specific number, kickstarting an online mystery about its origins.

Biology Margherita Bassi Jan 28

How a Microbe Tunnels Its Way Through an Insect Gut—It’s Weirder Than You Think

Some microbes can squeeze through tight spaces by wrapping themselves in their flagellum—the tail-like structure they use to move. Also, how adorable are those little guys?

Biology Margherita Bassi Jan 27

Nordic Equestrian Project Asks Horses if They Want Blankets or Not

Researchers have taught horses to communicate their preferences with symbols.

Biology Margherita Bassi Jan 26

New Evidence Melts the Stonehenge Glacier Theory

It seems like glaciers weren't helpful in the construction of the famous prehistoric monument.

Human History Margherita Bassi Jan 22

Artist’s Illustration Of Cloudy Disk Orbiting Distant Star

Astronomers Spot a Mysterious Metallic Cloud Orbiting Something Even More Mysterious

Did we mention it's mysterious?

Space & Spaceflight Margherita Bassi Jan 22

Incredible Hand Stencil With Claw-Like Fingers Could Be Oldest Known Cave Art

A newly dated Indonesian cave painting may be 1,100 years older than the world’s oldest known rock art, but not everyone is convinced by the evidence.

Human History Margherita Bassi Jan 21

Gaming More Than 10 Hours a Week? You’ll Want to Read This

Here's what scientists discovered when they investigated the health of three types of video gamers in Australia.

Health Margherita Bassi Jan 20

Scientists Finally Figured Out How Some People Get Drunk Without Drinking

Gut microbes can make people drunk without booze. Scientists now know which ones to blame.

Health Margherita Bassi Jan 14

Archaeologists Uncover Gigantic Medieval Ship With Features Seen Only on Paper

The shipwreck is exceptionally preserved and provides the first archaeological confirmation of features seen in illustrations.

Human History Margherita Bassi Jan 14

Archaeologists in Sicily Discover an Ancient Stylus With an Erection. Yes, That Kind of Erection

The over 2,400-year-old ceramist's stylus likely features Dionysus...and his other bits.

Human History Margherita Bassi Jan 13

Researchers Discover Previously Unknown Species in Utah’s Great Salt Lake

And they've proposed two "kind of crazy" ideas for how it got there.

Biology Margherita Bassi Jan 12

Margherita Bassi

A Giant, 10 Skulls, and Rope-Bound Corpses: This Viking-Era ‘Execution Pit’ Has Stories to Tell

Experts Stuck 2 Mummies in a CT Scanner. Here’s What They Saw

Is Lead Exposure Really Declining? A Century of Hair Holds the Answer

This May Be the Oldest Known Victim of a Bear Attack—and It’s Brutal

This Ancient River Seemed to Flow Uphill. Now We Know Why

143-Year-Old Shipwreck Emerges on a New Jersey Beach

This Spider’s ‘Pearl Necklace’ Looks Fancy—Until You Learn What It Really Is

NASA Has a New Estimate for Europa’s Ice Shell, and Whoa Is It Ever Thick

1,000-Year-Old Bronze Cross Perfectly Matches Mold Found 40 Years Ago, Shocking Archaeologists

Shell Fragment Found Fitted With Strange Tag Sparks Internet Mystery

How a Microbe Tunnels Its Way Through an Insect Gut—It’s Weirder Than You Think

Nordic Equestrian Project Asks Horses if They Want Blankets or Not

New Evidence Melts the Stonehenge Glacier Theory

Astronomers Spot a Mysterious Metallic Cloud Orbiting Something Even More Mysterious

Incredible Hand Stencil With Claw-Like Fingers Could Be Oldest Known Cave Art

Gaming More Than 10 Hours a Week? You’ll Want to Read This

Scientists Finally Figured Out How Some People Get Drunk Without Drinking

Archaeologists Uncover Gigantic Medieval Ship With Features Seen Only on Paper

Archaeologists in Sicily Discover an Ancient Stylus With an Erection. Yes, That Kind of Erection

Researchers Discover Previously Unknown Species in Utah’s Great Salt Lake

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy Claims Strikes on Russian Data Centers Silenced Social Media Bots

Mark Zuckerberg: Meta Is on the Frontier Now

Hackers Overheat Fridges at Supermarkets Across France, Wasting Food and Starting Fires

Solar Orbiter Traces the Origin of a Mysterious S-Shaped Kink on the Sun

Astronomers Spot Possible Signs of Antimatter Disappearing Beyond Our Galaxy

How to Remove Your Personal Information From the Internet?

Anthropic’s AI Submitted a Fake Tip in an Unsolved Murder Case

Based AI People Are Supposedly Smoking Because AI Will Cure Cancer

The Voice of Daredevil Becomes Him in Self-Made Fan Film

Samsung B-Series Soundbar Goes From Prime Day Deal to Clearance Steal, Now Under $100 on Amazon

Eufy Omni E35 Review: Finally, a Luxury Robovac That Doesn’t Piss Me Off

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) Review: The King of Clip-Ons Is Re-Crowned

Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) Review: Technically an Upgrade

Lenovo Legion 5i (2026) Review: A Gaming Laptop That Epitomizes the PC Pricing Paradox

TP-Link Tapo Doorbell Pro D260 Review: Everything You Need at No Extra Cost

Sonos Beam Ultra Review: The Soundbar You Really Want

Nothing Headphone 1 Pro Review: Honest-to-God S-Tier Headphones

The Best Gadgets of September 2026

GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS Review: A Bad GoPro and a Worse Camera

Apple Watch Ultra 4 Review: Still the Best Health Buddy for Your Wrist